Railway draft rigging



Oct. 27, 1931. J. F. OCONNOR RAILWAY DRAFT RIGGING .2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 27, 1928 Oct. 27, 1931 J; F. OCONNOR 1.8251152 RAILWAY DRAFT RIGGING Filed Feb. 27, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q l TN & 34$ @KQ WW h 1 k m 6% a 1!: 4 W WW N imimw m If f an ,m m Q N \N RN N LN \A Y .NNHNH v a QR W 4 \w m W w WWW. 111 1!:

s v \N Patented Get. 27, 1931 Units!)- STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN F. OCONNOR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR TO W. H. MINER, INC., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE RAILWAY DRAFT." RIGGING Application filed February 27, 1928. Serial No. 257,156.

This invention relates to improvements: in railway draft riggings.

One object of invention is to provide an improved friction shock absorbing device which is especially designed for use in combination with tandemside castings such as are now on many thousandsof cars, Whereby to provide a more eiiicientshock absorbing arrangement for such cars.

More specifically, an object of my invention is to provide a friction shock absorbing device of the character above indicated, characterized by the'fact that the friction elements are interlocked with the friction shell for the purpose of maintaining the proper over-all length of the device.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claim hereinafter following.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Fig. 1 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view of a portion of arail way car showing my improvements in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a vertical longi: tudinal sectional view of the improved friction gear proper and corresponding to the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3' is a front end elevation of the shock absorbing device proper. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view corresponding to the line H of Fig. 2. Fig. 5' is a perspective view of the improved wedge employed in my device. And Fig. 6 is a detail perspective of one of the shell liners.

In said drawings, channel draft sills of usual construction are indicated at 10, each of which has secured to the inner face thereof a tandem stop casting or check plate, designated generally by the reference character A. A portion of the butt of a coupler is indicated at 11 and said coupler is operatively connected to the shock absorbing device by a strap yoke 12. The improved friction gear proper is indicated generally by the reference character B and the same is adapted to be interposed between the usual type of front and rear followers 13 and 1 1.

Each tandem casting A is of a. design well known and is provided with a front main stop shoulder 15; front intermediate stop shoulder 16; rear intermediate stop shoulder 17 rear main stop shoulder 18. and corresponding limiting stop shoulders 115, 116, 117 and 118. The castings are also of that type wherein the draft gear is adapted to be supported by detachable follower guide straps; 19, which are secured in place by short bolts 20 engaged through suitable slots in the bottom webs of the casting at the main posts thereof.

The improved friction gear proper B includes an elongated casting having a friction shell proper 21 at its front end and a spring cage section 22 at its rear end, said section being connected by integral longitudinally extending top and bottom walls 232? thus leaving the sides of the casting open at thev intermediate portions thereof, as best shown in Fig. 1. The spring cage section 22 is formed with an integral rear wall 2& which bears against the rear follower 1 1. At its forward end, the cage section 22 is formed with integral laterally extended vertical heavy flanges 2525 which function as the rear intermediate follower of the tandem arrangement, said follower sections 25 normally engaging the limiting stop shoulders 117 The friction shell section 21 has top and bottom walls 26-26 and side walls 27-27, the. latter being flat and extending vertically on their inner sides and rounded on their outer sides, as best shown in Fig; 3. At its rear end the shell 21 is provided on each side thereof with vertically extending follower sections or flanges 6060 which normally engage the front intermediate stop shoulders 16. The top and bottom walls 26 each has its inner face formed with a plurality of flat surfaces: in diii'erent planes, as indicated at 28, 29, 30 and 31, the two edge surfaces 28 and 31 being relatively narrow and the other two surfaces 29- and 30 being relatively wide and all of said surfaces being arranged more or less to correspond with a hexagon. Engageable with said surfaces 28 to 31 inclusive, are correspondingly formed surfaces 128, 129,180 and 131 on the outer side of a hardened liner designated generally by the reference C, as shown in detail in Fig. 6. The

latter, at its inner end and on its outer side,

isprovided with corner lugs or flanges 3232 which engage corresponding notches 3333 1n the corners of the frlctlon shell proper and serve to hold the liners C against longitudinal movement after the linersare in place. On

thus giving the effect of a tapered friction shell. At their outer ends, each liner is pro-' vided with corner lugs 36:36 extended inwardly towardt-he center line of the gear, as shown in Figs. 3 and6 and the function of which will appear hereinafter. 1 I

In the friction gear chosen forillustration, two wedge-shoes D and'E are employed. Eachshoe isformed on its outerside with two fiat friction surfaces 3738 cooperating with the liner-friction surfaces 3 i'and 35, respectively; Theshoes D and E are of generally like construction except that the shoe D is formed with a blunt wedge face 39 and the shoe E with a keener wedge face' 10, said wedge faces 39 and 40 coopearting with correspondingly sloped faces 41 and 42, provided on the pressure-transmit ting wedge F. At their inner ends, the

shoes D and E bear on a flange 43 which constitutes part of a cup-shaped spring cap 44. The fiange3 bears against the front end of an outer heavy spring coil 45. and the front end of the inner lighter coil 46 is seated in the cup section of the'cap, as shown in Fig.

'2. The rear ends of the spring coil bear against the spring cage wall 24.

.48. with a flat main portion 49 and a laterally extended shoulder or lug section .50 having The wedge? is of novel construction and isprovided with an outer flat bearing face 4? which contacts with the front follower 13,

the vertical height of the wedge being preferably extended by forming wing sections 4:8 Each side of the wedge is formed a forwardly facing flat shoulder 51. Said shoulders 51 are adapted to engage behind the lugs 36 of the liners C, as shown in Figs. 1

' and 2, so that the outward movement of the wedge F is positively limited by the shoulders provided by the lugs 36 and which are fixed with respect to' the frictionshell. In

this way, the over-all length of the mechanism is maintained without the aid of a re- 7 tainer bolt or the like.

same. Provision for doing this is made by forming a relativelylarge hole 52 through the center of the wedge F and it will also be noted that the innermost portions of the wedge sec- 'tions of the shoes "D and E are cut back as indicated at 5353. The Wedge and shoes are assembled together and the liners assembled on theouter sides of the shoes, the shoes being considerably advanced inwardly of the wedge F. This complete assembly with its reduced vertical height, due to the advanced position of the shoesD and E is inserted into the mouth of the shell 21, the

obvious that the friction elements are inter:

locked with the shell. The cut-back portion 53 of the shoes D and E is provided so as to clear the I pressure tool when the shoes are being'inserted in the wedge,it being evident that the shoes will necessarily approach each other while in-their advanced position on the wedge F. 7 It will further be noted that ample clearance is left between the top and bottom portions of the wedge]? and the outer extended ends of the shoes, to admit of the collapsed positioning of the shoes in assembling the parts. I

Ina buff action, it is evident that the casting of the friction gear is held stationary, the

of shoulders 13-16; 117117; and 18-18. .The ultimate pressure, assuming a full stroke, is further distributed to the stop castings by thefollower 13 engaging the limiting stop shoulders 115, it being noted that r the front end of the shell 21 is made flush with said. shoulders 115. In a draft action, the wedgeF is held stationary by the front follower 13' and the shell casting is moved forwardly, thus setting up the friction action within the shell in an obviousmanner and the ultimate load being transferred to the side castings against the four sets of stop shoulders 1515; 116116; 1717 and 118118.

Although 'Ihave herein shown and de- 100 pressure being transmitted'to the three sets having inturned integral retaining fingers at the outer end thereof; a main spring resistance within the shell opposing inward movement of the shoes; and a block having wedging engagement with the shoes, said block having retaining lugs thereon directly engaging with the retaining fingers of the liners to limit outward movement of the wedge and hold the parts of the mechanism assembled.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 24th day of February, 1928.

JOHN F. OCONNOR. 

